FBI Identifies Suspect In Flamethrower Attack On Peaceful Protest For Israeli Hostages In Colorado

A man who threw Molotov cocktails at a group of people taking part in a peaceful protest for the release of Israeli hostages on Sunday has been identified by the FBI.

Officials say Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, used a flamethrower on the group—burning eight people—as they took part in a regularly scheduled event in Colorado.

Soliman is alleged to have used a makeshift flamethrower, and threw an incendiary device into the crowd at Pearl Street Mall in Boulder while shouting “Free Palestine.”

The FBI is treating the attack as a targeted act of terrorism.

Four women and four men, aged between 52 and 88, were taken to Denver metro hospitals for treatment.

Soliman, of El Paso County, is in the Boulder County Jail facing multiple charges after being medically evaluated.

Terrifying video shows people screaming while thick smoke and flames fill the air.

Members of the public are seen attending to the injured, pouring water over them in a clip that appears to show Soliman topless as he screams at people.

Others are held back from running towards Soliman and urged to “stay away” as police respond to the scene.

Government officials told CBS that Soliman is an Egyptian national, while sources confirmed to the outlet that he had arrived in the U.S. in 2022 on a non-immigrant visa.

That visa expired in 2023, the sources said.

Sources from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also confirmed the visa overstay to Fox News.

They said that in March 2023, Soliman was given work authorization and that was valid until March of this year, but he never left the country.

The victims were all taking part in Run for Their Lives, where Jewish community members run and walk in solidarity with the hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

It is understood that Run for Their Lives events have been held every week since October 15, 2023, without any violent incident.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization combating antisemitism, said they believe Soliman said “We have to end Zionists,” among other things, during the attack.

“This is the second violent attack on the U.S. Jewish community in two weeks,” ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt said.

“First, a young couple slaughtered in Washington, D.C. Now, a firebomb thrown at a group in Boulder, Colorado, as they gathered to express solidarity with the 58 hostages still being held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Two peaceful Jewish events that ended with rage-filled, violent attacks.”

“Elected officials, community groups, media platforms, faith leaders—they all need to commit to taking action before this crisis escalates even further,” he added.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis sent his thoughts to those injured in the “heinous and targeted act,” which occurred as the Jewish holiday of Shavuot was about to begin.

“Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully drawing attention to the plight of hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days,” he said.

“Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all, and I condemn this act of terror. The suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Rabbi Israel Wilhelm told CBS that one victim, aged 88, was a Holocaust survivor who had fled Europe and was “very loving.”

Another of the victims was a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), Rabbi Wilhelm, who is the Chabad director at CU, said.

“Boulder is not immune to tragedy sadly and I know a lot of people are scared right now and questioning how this happened and why,” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said.

“Boulder has recovered from acts of violence before and we will again recover. I urge this community to come together. Now is not the time to be divisive.

“When this call came out today, our officers rushed to the scene as quickly as they could to protect our community and arrest the suspect and I’m very proud of their response.

“I also greatly appreciate all of our law enforcement and community partners who responded to help as well. I want to assure our Boulder community that we will have increased presence at many events and locations throughout the city to ensure safety.”

“We stand in full solidarity with those targeted. And we will continue to ensure that justice is pursued swiftly, support is provided to victims and their communities, and preventative action is taken to protect everyone’s safety. We stand in full solidarity with those targeted,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek added.

The attack comes less than two weeks after a young couple who worked for the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot and killed.

Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were murdered outside the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday, May 21.

The couple had just left the American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS Young Diplomats Reception when they were shot at close range.

Suspected gunman Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago, was arrested at the scene and was heard chanting “Free Palestine” while in custody.

Officials said that before the shooting, Rodriguez was observed pacing back and forth outside the museum.

He then approached a group of four people, produced a handgun, and opened fire, fatally striking Lischinsky and Milgrim, police said.

Since January 2020, the ADL Center on Extremism has documented 16 terrorist plots or attacks targeting Jews, Zionists, or Jewish institutions in the U.S.

Nine of those incidents occurred within the past 11 months, from June 2024 to May 2025.

This is a sharp increase compared to seven incidents recorded over the previous 54 months, from January 2020 to June 2024, the ADL said.